Is This A Prototype?
Prototype is a word that is not used much with the general population. Contrarily it is used daily in the manufacturing industry. As an example let’s take a thermal coffee cup and see how it came into being. Somebody had an idea about putting a cup inside another cup while leaving a little space between the walls of the two cups. Theoretically it would insulate the contents of the cup, keeping it either hot or cold. The insulation would prevent the cup from sweating when the contents are contrasting temperatures. The new features would make it more desirable which would increase sales. The cup would sell at a higher price improving profits. At this point it is only an idea; a theory that will make money when mass produced.
The first cup has to be hand-made. Two separate cups of the appropriate sizes will probably be turned on a wood lathe and then a handle applied later. The finished product is used to shape a mold that is made from a material that will be user friendly to the material of finished product. Molds are wooden, clay, metals, plastics, earthen soil, waxes and other materials. Once the mold is smoothed and fits properly, it is ready to use.
Most items or parts mass produced for the retail market are either poured or injected with whatever material the finished product is to be. The product that is removed from the mold is a prototype. The prototype is tested and measured to extremely high standards and requirements. If it doesn’t perform properly, the mold is adjusted and changes are made and then another prototype is formed. Once the product is perfected, the molds and material are never changed again. It is now ready for mass production. The quality of the finished product is totally dependent upon the quality of the mold.
Just like the example I just used, the success of a business depends on the quality of the mold we use. We need a business model to follow so that we can have a sense of direction we need travel in if we hope to reach our desired goal. A model helps us make the proper decisions. It provides us accountability. The model we follow should have been tried, tested, perfected and successfully used for many years. The model fits their requirements but we may have to make some adjustments for it to fit our needs.
When we first begin following a business model, it is in the prototype stage. Adjustments will be required but we must be very careful and very selective as to the changes we make. A change here and a change there and the next thing we know it doesn’t even resemble the model. The purpose in following a model is to have a positive direction that provides accountability by comparison. The more tweaking you do in your business, to get it to compare with the perfected model, the more proficient your business will become.
I have been teaching, training, and coaching sales people for years. Not just in real estate but salespeople in other industries. I have been selling for more than 45 years but I don’t teach people based on my knowledge. I haven’t perfected a sales technique that if you follow it completely, it will insure that you become the most successful sales person in America. I teach models that have been working for the past 40 years and they still work today. These models are used by the nation’s top producing sales people. I’m talking about the top 100 in the country. I teach people to do what they do. To measure themselves against top producers and they will consistently grow and improve daily. I have been teaching some techniques for 35 years and they haven’t needed tweaking the first time in all those years. Many people have tried to make changes to suit their own desires but later found out that shortcuts don’t work. Stay with the perfected model and grow your business.
The important question is, what does your prototype look like? How does it work for you? Are you following a business model, or flying by the seat of your pants, so to speak? People are always looking for the easier way, the quicker way to get from one point to the other. It seems that the road with least resistance is the road most traveled. Compare yourself to the best and you will get better. Compare yourself to yourself and you will surely fail.
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